14 October,2024 07:22 AM IST | Sharjah | Santosh Suri
Pakistan players after their loss to Australia in Dubai last week. Pic/Getty Images
Not even in their wildest dream would anyone have thought that India's fate in the Women's T20 World Cup would depend on Pakistan. In fact, it's quite interesting that in any ICC tournament, the Pakistan angle inadvertently crops up as far as India are concerned.
India's defeat to Australia in their last league game on Sunday night means that they need Pakistan to pull off a miracle by beating New Zealand in their last league fixture at Dubai on Monday. New Zealand's loss to Australia in their second game was a big setback for their Net Run Rate which stands at +0.282. They have two wins in three games and occupy the third spot in the table, just behind India. Another win will take them into the semis with Australia.
Pakistan, on the other hand, are a depleted side as their skipper Fatima Sana has returned home due to her father's demise. They have won just one game out of three and have a poor NRR of -0.488. A win against NZ though can give them a mathematical chance of making the semis, which means they will be keen to give their best and this, in turn, could help India's cause.
The pitch at the Dubai stadium is quite sporting as both batters and the bowlers get some assistance. The conditions also assist spinners, mainly due to the slowness of the track as the game progresses. The skipper winning the toss could opt to bowl first. New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine however, is confident that either way, her team is capable of handling Pakistan. "We have had one poor game against the Aussies, otherwise, we have played really well. That's what we hope to do in our last game too and are confident we will join our Trans-Tasman neighbours in the semi-finals," she said.
